Eastenders star confronted Liverpool's violent gangs for infamous episode of TV show
| Published date | 15 June 2022 |
| Publication title | Liverpool Echo: Web Edition Articles (England) |
Up until the early 2000s, viewers had been more used to watching Kemp play TV hardman Grant Mitchell in Eastenders. Following his exit from the show, the actor created a number of documentary series placing him in some of the most dangerous territories such as Ross Kemp in Afghanistan in 2008 and in the company of violent gangsters in Ross Kemp on Gangs 2004 -2009.
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Episode six of the final series four first broadcast in 2009 saw Kemp take on the waring gangs of Croxteth and Norris Green in Liverpool. In what has now become one of the most notorious episodes, its screening was delayed for a year because of the Rhys Jones murder trial which saw Croxteth Crew gang member Sean Mercer jailed for life.
In previous episodes of his show, Kemp had taken on the drug gangs of Rio De Janeiro, as well as the Crips and Bloods of Los Angeles. This time, Kemp started the show saying he'd spent the summer in Liverpool seeking out the young gangs said to be "wreaking havoc" on Merseyside.
Narrating the episode, Kemp said although the vast majority of people in the affected areas of Croxteth and Norris Green were "normal, hard working families", parts of Liverpool 11 were "devastated" by drugs in the 1980s and '90s, and suffered from high rates of unemployment.
Throughout the documentary, Kemp interviews social workers working with specialist police teams created to tackle gang violence. However, it was his unforgettable interviews with the gang members themselves that most viewers remember.
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After just a few days in the city, Kemp had been invited to meet with some of the members of the Norris Green 'Strand Gang'. The interview took place in a dimly lit room with three members of the gang, all wearing dark clothing and balaclavas. Their voices had also been digitally disguised as not to give away their identities.
Each member of the gang openly held on to a vicious looking bladed weapons, including knives and Samurai swords. Asked by Kemp what they would do if they came across a rival member from the Croxteth faction, one of the gang replied: "I’d chop his head off...
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